Countdown to end of qualifying has begun!Report by Sporting Daily Sporting TeamOkay, we heard you. Some of you have been asking us how did we get our elimination charts up. Here, on the bye day for our team, we explain what is going on.
Pos Group 1 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Audioslavia 17 13 3 1 43 19 +24 42
2 Sargossa 17 13 1 3 54 31 +23 40
3 Newmanistan 17 12 1 4 41 23 +18 37
These are the only teams in the race for 2 spots. It looks quite tight, but with 3 matches to go, we have to dive down to their individual matches.
MD20: Sargossa vs Newmanistan, Audioslavia vs Islas Aaland
MD21: Aimena vs Audioslavia, Islas Aaland vs Sargossa, Newmanistan vs Greater Cebu
MD22: Brusseldorf vs Newmanistan, Sargossa vs Aimena, Audioslavia vs Joyea
After Newmanistan's loss to Audioslavia, the match against Sargossa becomes a must win. Considering that the reverse ended in 1-0 in favour of Sargossa, Newmanistan should aim for a win by at least 2 goals to ensure they are top on head-to-head goals. If the win is a simple one goal win, then goal difference would come into play. If Newmanistan loses to Sargossa, Audioslavia qualifies by not losing, as Audioslavia has a superior head-to-head record against Newmanistan. A note worthy point is that Audioslavia and Sargossa are
tied on head-to-head. (Audioslavia won 2-1, then Sargossa won 3-2 in the reverse), so raking up huge wins is necessary for anyone to survive a tiebreaker.
Pos Group 2 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Banija 18 15 2 1 63 23 +40 47
2 Brenecia 18 13 4 1 47 21 +26 43
This is a question of who steals the glory of qualifying as group winners. Banija, with a superior head-to-head, is able to clinch first with 2 points in 2 games, while Brenecia needs to win both games and hope Banija collects 0 or 1 points.
Pos Group 3 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Starblaydia 17 13 3 1 57 22 +35 42
2 HUElavia 18 12 3 3 43 32 +11 39
3 Mercedini 18 11 5 2 51 29 +22 38
Another 3 way battle here. Starblaydia has an easier life needing only a win to secure first place, having a superior head-to-head record over HUElavia. The other two teams are neck and neck, and they cannot afford to drop points. Mercedini needs to collect
more points than HUElavia, as the have a poorer head-to-head record.
Pos Group 4 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Turori 17 14 1 2 50 12 +38 43
2 95X 17 11 2 4 41 31 +10 35
3 Sajnur 17 8 5 4 45 38 +7 29
Turori is already in, and guaranteed first place with 1 point, since they have a superior head-to-head record over 95X (one win apiece, head-to-head goals: 95X 4, Turori 6). As for the second slot, we look at their respective matches:
MD20: Sajnur vs Pink Floyd FC, Ynyslas vs 95X
MD21: 95X vs Guadalajara, Barsland vs Sajnur
MD22: Sajnur vs 95X
95X needs 4 points to stop Sajnur from doing anything. If they don't, Sajnur can overturn 95X if they win 3 matches (or win 2 and draw 1 if 95X does not get more than 1 point). There is, however, a reverse fixture in MD22, after 95X drew Sajnur 4-4 the first time round. 95X is likely to qualify, baring a collapse from the team against the teams currently in 7th and 8th place in the group.
Pos Group 5 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Nephara 17 13 2 2 43 18 +25 41
2 Siovanija & Teusland 18 13 1 4 44 25 +19 40
Our group has already been decided previously, and Nephara just need to collect 5 points to get first as they won both their games against Siovanija & Teusland. Poafmersia has a match against Nephara in MD22 away, and our team can play party poppers if they manage to cause an upset against the top seeds, which are very difficult opponents and delivered a crushing defeat in Poafmersia last time out.
Pos Group 6 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Equestria 17 13 1 3 58 22 +36 40
2 Darmen 17 11 3 3 51 32 +19 36
3 Darkmania 17 11 2 4 35 34 +1 35
4 Hapilopper 17 9 5 3 43 32 +11 32
No choice here, we have to look at what is left to see the situation.
MD20: Hapilopper vs Quakmybush, Equestria vs Sultanate of Oontaz, Darkmania vs Nomoterra, Bongo Johnson vs Darmen
MD21: Darmen vs Acapais, Vdara vs Darkmania, Nomoterra vs Equestria, Sultanate of Oontaz vs Hapilopper
MD22: Hapilopper vs Nomoterra, Equestria vs Vdara, Darkmania vs Darmen
Equestria, the 2nd in the world rankings, have not qualified, which is a surprise. They just simply need 2 points to qualify, with their superior head-to-head record over Darkmania (one win apiece, head-to-head goals: Equestria 9 Darkmania 6) and Darmen (head-to-head points: Equestria 6 Darmen 0),and both Darkmania and Darmen unable to get maximum points with their MD22 match.
How does that work? We give the worse case here: Say Equestria gets only 2 points. They would be on 42. Hapilopper wins all 3 and gets only 41. Not enough. Darkmania wins 2 and gets 41, while Darmen wins 2 and gets 42. If the match between Darmen and Darkmania ends in a draw, Darkmen will be on 43 and qualifies, while Darkmania will be on 42, level on points with Equestria but loses on head-to-head. A win for either side will send that team through, with the loser being eliminated. Darmen winning will eliminate Darkmania due to head-to-head records.
Okay, so Equestria is settled. Clearly the match between Darkmania and Darmen is a must win for either side, especially Darkmania, which is one point behind. Meanwhile, Hapilopper would only have to pray that Margeret (the god of Sports) blesses them and make Darkmania and Darmen drop points. Hapilopper has a poorer head-to-head record against Darmen (head-to-head points: Darmen 4, Hapilopper 1) but has a better head-to-head record against Darkmania (one win apiece, head-to-head goals: Hapilopper 2, Darkmania 1), so that could be taken into consideration in the event points become level.
Pos Group 7 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Mriin 18 13 3 2 59 24 +35 42
2 Chromatika 17 13 2 2 39 21 +18 41
3 Main Nation Ministry 17 11 2 4 45 30 +15 35
It's likely to be a Mriin-Chromatika double, unless something else happens. We look at the run-up for a clearer picture.
MD20: Main Nation Ministry vs Lons, Petrovsky vs Chromatika, Mriin bye
MD21: Chromatika vs Bloing, Plane of Possibility vs Main Nation Ministry, Kavagrad vs Mriin
MD22: Mriin vs Lons, Main Nation Ministry vs Northwest Kalactin, Zealandiana vs Chromatika
We also note the head-to-head: Main Nation Ministry has 6 head-to-head points to Mriin's 0; Main Nation Ministry has same head-to-head points and goals with Chromatika; Mriin has 4 head-to-head points to Chromatika's 1. That means both Chromatika and Mriin needs 2 points to qualify safely. Alternatively, Chromatika can use a superior goal difference with only one point, but that is unlikely considering Main Nation Ministry is only 3 behind in GD.
Pos Group 8 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 South Covello 18 13 3 2 41 14 +27 42
2 Ziwana 18 9 6 3 46 37 +9 33
3 Qasden 17 9 5 3 38 31 +7 32
4 Squornshelan Remnant States (E) 18 6 8 4 30 23 +7 26
5 Filindostan 17 6 7 4 28 24 +4 25
This one steals the cake, but maybe not for long. Filindostan, with 25 points, needs a miracle in Ziwana losing both their matches and Qasden getting at most 1 point, while they win everything. The reverse matches ended up in win against Flavovespia but draws against Mustardy and Vakolicci Haven & Celaria. The more important matches are the ones of Qasden and Ziwana, where Ziwana is aiming to the first team in a long time to qualify at first try.
MD20: Bluiji Vs Ziwana, Qasden vs Mustardy
MD21: Vakolicci Haven & Celaria vs Qasden, Ziwana vs Squornshelan Remnant States
MD22: Ziwana bye, Qasden vs South Covello
At first look, it seems that Qasden has a higher chance of winning. With a superior head-to-head, Qasden just needs to get one more point then Ziwana to qualify. However, the second seeds are not having it easy. Last time out, they had huge difficulties beating Mustardy in a 5-4 thriller, drew Vakolicci Haven & Celaria, and lost to top seeds and group winners South Covello. Ziwana, on the other hand, has an easier opponent in 121st ranked Bluiji, and they drew the harder opponent, the Squornshelan Remnant States away. Maybe Qasden needs to work a bit harder to get those points here, but we think Ziwana has some hopes.
Pos Group 9 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Valanora 17 13 2 2 60 21 +39 41
2 Port Ember 18 12 1 5 43 30 +13 37
3 Kelssek 17 11 0 6 48 34 +14 33
4 Ethane 17 10 3 4 43 29 +14 33
Valanora has a very easy way out, needing only a win at Xanneria at next matchday to qualify as group champions. Kelssek and Ethane needs a miracle to overhaul Valanora, but they could overhaul Port Ember, which played one more game.
However, the matches are not simple pushovers. Port Ember has the easiest run in, with matches against Razneta and Lisander, while Kelssek has to play Five Cities, Xanneria and Bears Armed. Bears Armed is not an easy opponent, having some World Cup experience from some time back. They have proven their mentle in many matches, and showed that their teams remains strong despite a lack of recent cup experience. Ethane has to play Lisander, Ouna, before a tricky trip to Valanora. This might give Port Ember an advantage, but we might see this tie being decided on the final matchday instead.
Pos Group 10 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Kita-Hinode 18 14 3 1 55 22 +33 45
2 The Holy Empire 17 14 1 2 59 29 +30 43
3 Juvencus 17 13 1 3 38 24 +14 40
Some say this is really difficult to call. Indeed, with Juvencus having to play The Holy Empire and Kita-Hinode, no one can seat back and relax in this tight race.
A death fight impending?
MD20: Juvencus vs Kita-Hinode, Pauh Janggi vs The Holy Empire
MD21: The Holy Empire vs Juvencus, Kita-Hinode vs Union of Quincy
MD22: Union of Quincy vs The Holy Empire, Juvencus vs Freeport, Kita-Hinode bye
To start, Juvencus needs to win at home to Kita-Hinode. Any other result would see them fall behind as The Holy Empire plays Pauh Janggi away. Kita-Hinode can secure qualification with a win at Juvencus. Then, The Holy Empire plays Juvencus in a real 6-pointer. The Holy Empire won the first match 6-2 at home, so Juvencus needs to win by 5 goals or more to leapfrog The Holy Empire. By the last matchday, bearing some freak result, the top 2 teams would be very clear.
Pos Group 11 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Free Republics 17 15 1 1 50 15 +35 46
2 Taeshan 17 11 3 3 24 9 +15 36
3 Jeruselem 17 9 6 2 39 24 +15 33
4 Schottia 17 9 4 4 38 33 +5 31
The Free Republics may be group winners, but they have a part in the battle for second place. They play Jeruselem away in MD20 before hosting Schottia in MD21. First and foremost, Schottia needs to keep themselves alive, by beating Taeshan again in the MD20 matchup. They won the first one 1-0 away, so returning home to beat Taeshan should be a real possibility. A draw would put them off the pace, while a loss will see Schottia drop out of the race.
Then, in MD21, while Free Republics host Schottia, Nakhistan hosts Jeruselem while Taeshan hosts Geektopia. If this has turned into Taeshan vs Jeruselem by then, then surely Jeruselem is on the back foot, they need Taeshan to drop points to overhaul Taeshan. Head-to-head is useless at this point, they are even. Taeshan then play away at bottom side Galar, which is surely a win for Taeshan. Schottia hosts Nahkistan while Jeruselem hosts Geektopia in the other 2 Matchday 22 matches. If Jeruselem wants to qualify, maybe they have to beg Schottia to do them a favour and hopefully they can use their superior goal difference to help. If not, we can only see Taeshan running away with the second spot.
Pos Group 12 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Farfadillis 17 14 1 2 45 12 +33 43
2 Drawkland 17 11 4 2 35 19 +16 37
3 Pasarga 17 11 2 4 45 27 +18 35
The fixture list gave Farfadillis an early ticket to the World Cup. Pasarga and Drawkland cannot both get maximum points to coup Farfadillis for the spot, due to their meeting in Matchday 21. This is because excluding their match in MD21, Pasarga would have a maximum of 41, while Drawkland have a maximum of 43. Drawkland has a worse head-to-head record against Farfadillis, so their meetup is very important.
Pasarga's remaining fixtures: Polkopia (h), Drawkland (a), Farfadillis (h)
Drawland's remaining fixtures: Melbergia (a), Pasarga (h), Yttribua (a)
The matches for both teams are difficult, with Pasarga having to play Farfadillis at home too. The odds do not favour Pasarga at all.
Pos Group 13 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Eura 17 16 1 0 57 14 +43 49
2 Reçueçn 18 10 4 4 25 16 +9 34
3 Damukuni 17 9 3 5 39 27 +12 30
A straight forward 2 way fight for one spot. Damukuni has played one game less and a head-to-head advatageof Recuecn, so they just need to collect 4 more points from 3 games as compared to Recuecn from 2 games. However, Recuecn is likely to be having the edge oer Damukuni.
Pos Group 14 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Vilita 17 15 1 1 68 29 +39 46
2 Zwangzug 17 11 2 4 27 20 +7 35
3 Mattijana 17 10 2 5 32 22 +10 32
4 Ancherion 18 9 3 6 42 39 +3 30
Pos Group 15 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Apox 17 14 2 1 41 17 +24 44
2 Ko-oren 17 11 2 4 25 12 +13 35
3 New Lusitania 18 9 6 3 34 19 +15 33
4 Eraman 17 9 2 6 25 18 +7 29
Two similar situations, with winners settled and second place left to fight for. Group 14 would be more close, with Zwangzug only 3 points ahead. Mattijana, probably the only contender realistically, has a head-to-head advantage with their meeting in MD21 to come. Zwangzug needs to ensure they do not lose to Mattijana again, and if they can match the number of points in the other 2 games, they should be in. Ko-oren has an easier job, needing 4 points to eliminate New Lusitania, having a head-to-head point advantage.
That is it from us, and hopefully we can see more nice results!